My adventures in life and running!

Tag Archives: training

Post navigation

I made a decision a while back to work on getting my pace down. I’ve been comfy at 9:30 for a while, it’s really become my easy pace. My body automatically goes there. So, I’ve been trying to break that since I want to break a 1:45 half this year. It may just be my pea brain, but if I want to run an 8 minute mile in a race I need to run faster on training runs (at least sometimes). That being said, 8′s are tough. Real tough. Like vomit pace for me right now. But I guess that’s where I find out what I’m made of!

I feel like a little bit of a slacker lately. I need to find a good schedule that works for me again. I like Monday mornings at the gym, good way to start the week off. Friday’s are almost always rest days for me. Wednesday is usually a gym day (but not the last 2 weeks). And Saturday long run.

Training last week:

Sunday: Gym day

Monday: Gym day

Tuesday: Tempo run, 1.5 miles tempo, .5 mile recovery, that tempo part included a double hill, we ran it 4 times. Total miles 7.5, average pace 9:06.

Wednesday: Rest day

Thursday: 4.25 miles, average pace 8:35

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Raced a 5k

Saturday was my first 5k race in almost a year. I haven’t really been training to PR it specifically, but was going to try. It’s a race I’ve done before, close to home. I love those races. Easy in and easy out. They had a new course this year and I think I like it better than the old one. I got up about 2 hours early and ate a really light breakfast (first mistake). We headed over to get our shirts and then had time to kill. Hence the second mistake, no fuel. I completely forgot about taking something else to eat or at the very least a gel.

Race started and I was feeling good for 1 mile. I swear I could feel the exact moment I used all my energy. It was gone, y’all. Nowhere to be found. I used whatever I had to get me from mile 2 to the finish. I could feel myself slowing down some. Got near the finish line, it’s in a park so you think you are almost there then you make a right turn and have about 1/2 mile in the park before coming back to the finish. I crossed paths with Ally and kept pushing.

One of my friends was out there yelling at me to run faster (thank you Dana!) It was her revenge for me telling her to run faster at track! In the end I got a PR but I know I could’ve done better had I prepared better. My PR last year was 22:30, I got a flat 22 in this race. Ally got a huge PR, almost 3 minutes for her first sub 20 minute 5k. I’m so proud of her!

We both placed first in our age groups.

Last week was the district track meet for Ally. She finished the season so strong, took 2nd place in both the 1600 and 2400, finished less than a second by first place. They were so close we couldn’t tell in the stands who won. She PR’d both distances as well. I’m looking forward to seeing her compete again. Final 1600 was 5:36 and 2400 was 9:08.

Softball season started but already halted because of the rain. We need it desperately here, so I’m trying not to complain. I’m pretty sure we will have lots of make-up games to play!

Are you training for anything?

Did you run today?

Happy running,

She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. Proverbs 31:25

Last week every single thing that could be planned and put on a calendar happened. We will start with Thursday, Ally’s district qualifying track meet. You’ll have to excuse all the proud mom moments about to happen!

She ran the 1600 and 2400 again. Placed 1st in both, set school records and PR’s for herself in both. Her 2400 was 9:18 (last week was 9:47) and mile time was 5:38 (last week was 6:02). I cannot even express how proud I am of her. She finally figured out she can run fast. She finally figured out she’s strong enough to do it! I held my breath on that 1600 though. It was hard to watch, but she makes it look so easy.

She has some fierce competition in these two events. She will not be happy for me posting this picture but her face shows she was working hard! The district meet is tomorrow night!

Then Friday came along, and that was the start of the Youth Fair. Remember those rabbits? She had to be at the barn at 8AM Friday. That’s the day about 1000 3rd graders and teachers from our school district come to the barn for a tour, to see the animals and learn more about 4-H. That afternoon, went home, changed, grabbed all the rabbits and got back by 4 to get them weighed in. The judging and showmanship started at 5pm. She came in 11th out of 28. Not too shabby considering we had no idea what we were doing. We were just hoping they all lived for the 5 weeks!

Saturday morning she had her first softball game. They had a tournament but she was only playing 1 game before heading back to the barn. She pitched the first game since the other pitchers had 3 after this one.

It went into extra innings and ended up being a 2 hour game! What a way to start the season.

Back to the barn for the auction. Time to sell these bunnies!

There were 70+ exhibitors and she was #47. It was a long afternoon. Kinda cool seeing all these kids with the animals they raised.

When this was over we headed to the mexican market near us and grabbed some meat to grill. Went home and Ally jumped in the pool (yes it’s still frigid!) and John fired up the grill. We relaxed the rest of the evening. We even had dinner outside Sunday night, after some yard work, of course. It was a crazy couple of days but we were all pretty much together the entire time. I can’t remember the last time that happened. It was nice.

How was your weekend?

Anyone else out there do 4-H?

Do your kids run?

Happy running,

She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. Proverbs 31:25

If you love this, please share it!

Last week was busy! Ally started middle school track. They only have 4 meets. The first one got snowed out and the second one almost got rained out. The field events did get cancelled. This week is the district qualifier, I’m not sure how that works since there haven’t been any field events so far.

Ally ran the 400, the 1600 and the 2400. She’s definitely a distance runner, not a sprinter. She came in 1st in the 2400, that race was about 4:30pm, then maybe 7pm she ran the 400 and came in 7th, then finally about 8:30pm ran the mile and came in 2nd place. That 400 was just a warm up for the mile. It was fun and I’m so proud of her! She has been working hard. I know she will have some competition in the district qualifier, so she has work to do this week.

Here she is in the first lap, taking her lead. Once she got out in front she kept the lead. She made it look so easy, but I know she was working hard!

She was in 3rd place for the 1600 until the last 100 meters. I don’t know where she found the boost but she kicked it in gear and finished 2nd. This is the same girl that she came in 2nd place to during cross country. She wasn’t that far behind her, probably should have kicked it in gear sooner than she did.

We had a busy weekend and a busy week ahead. Softball hopefully starts next weekend and she shows her rabbits at the Youth Fair. I’m glad this project is almost over!

Training last week:

Sunday: 3 miles, average pace 7:58. Have no idea where that came from!

Monday: Early morning gym time. Abs, abs and more abs. Was feeling this by Tuesday.

Wednesday: Rest day. Had intended on getting to the gym but never made it.

Thursday: 5 miles, average pace 9:11

Friday: Gym date with the hubby. We were there at the same time, but different workouts.

Saturday: Rest day. (feels weird)

Last Sunday I was running out of time to make it to the gym. Ally had softball practice in the middle of the day. It was at the park, the sun was out, so off I went for 3 miles. It got warm, quick. And of course our city hasn’t turned the water fountains back on yet. Fortunately I was close to the car and that made me run even faster. That 7:58 pace came out of nowhere. I’m happy to know I can still do it though.

I ran the Dallas Rock N Roll Half yesterday, that recap should be up in a few days!

What are you training for?

Did you race this weekend?

Happy running,

She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. Proverbs 31:17

When is the right time or the perfect time to train for a full marathon?

Christina at Crazy Mama Runner asked that question last week in our Sweat Pink Ambassador group. She got varying responses but almost everyone agreed, there’s never a perfect time.

Everyone has their reason for running. A marathon is no easy feat so deciding to train for one isn’t an easy decision. I didn’t start running until Ally was 10. She was fairly self sufficient, didn’t keep me up all hours of the night crying so I may have a skewed outlook.

But, here are my thoughts anyway.

Kids ages. Ally was 12 or so when I decided to train for my first full. I was already running before the sun came up while my family slept so it wasn’t a big adjustment. The biggest thing was my early bedtime. To get up at 4AM for a mid-week long run I had to go to bed by 9:30 at the latest. Sometimes I was in bed before Ally (still am). While I didn’t have the all night feedings and diaper changes, she had homework, sports, church, dinner had to be made, laundry done. All the other things that parents have to do.

My age. Since I didn’t start running until I was about 35 I guess it’s never too late. I was 37 when I ran my first full. And my training partner was 40. So no age excuses.

That pesky job. I train before the sun came up. I had to, still do. If I don’t, it won’t get done. I’m actually used to it now. Sure, there are days when I just want to skip it, but I have people waiting on me to show up. After working and dinner and all of Ally’s activities I have no time to run at night. I don’t even make it to the gym in the evenings either.

Your pace. I don’t like that excuse. As long as you can finish in the posted time limit no reason not to do it. You can run it or run/walk it and it’s still a full marathon!

Your family and friends will tell you not to. I still get “those” comments. Usually from non-running friends, about how running long distance is bad for my knees, etc. So was being 40+ pounds overweight with high cholesterol. I’m in better shape in my 30′s than I was in my 20′s. Don’t let fear of the unknown stop you.

There are always going to be reasons not to train. But for every reason not to I could find a reason to do it. It wasn’t easy, there were days I wanted to quit and almost did. My running buddies can attest to that. It’s a huge accomplishment and you will feel like a rock star!

When you make the decision you want to do it, just do it.

Are you currently training for a marathon?

Just finished one?

Happy running! You are a rock star!

She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. Proverbs 31:17

Last week was finally a full week of running and getting to the gym. No snow, no ice, not much sunshine either. But hey, we need the rain. It’s sunny here today though!

Training last week:

Sunday: Gym day

Monday: Rest day

Tuesday: Track, 4×1 mile repeats, 8 miles including warm up and cool down, average pace 9:17

Wednesday: Gym day

Thursday: 6 miles, average pace 9:11

Friday: Gym day

Saturday: 9 miles at the lake then breakfast with friends! Average pace 9:14

I was very glad to get several days at the gym this week. It was Ally’s spring break so I took a few vacation days. We did a few projects at home, did a little shopping, saw McFarland USA (was soooo good!) I cried.

I painted and organized my pantry. It needed it badly. I should have painted it when we moved in last August but things were crazy and I was just ready to move in!

After (it looks a little better) At least the shelves are white now and not yellow.

Next up, I need to paint the kitchen chairs and I have a chair at my dressing table that needs paint and new fabric.

Ally is raising rabbits this year for her first (and probably last) 4-H project. We have less than 2 weeks to go before they go to auction. They are pretty cute but nasty little things too. They have made a mess in our garage! And they will scratch your arms up too.

If you love this, please share it!

I’m holding out hope that this week will be a regular run week for me. The last several weeks have been short because of weather. Texas has lost it!

Training last week:

Sunday: 10 miles. This is a funny story. We ran at 4:30 in the afternoon!

Monday: Rest day

Tuesday: Track, 12×400 with 400 recovery. That’s 6 miles on the track with 1 mile warm up and 1 mile cool down.

Wednesday: Gym day

Thursday: Snow day.

Friday: Rest day.

Saturday: 11 miles

Thursday came with sleet and snow, lots more that we anticipated too. It melted pretty quickly but then left ice the next morning. Actually we had ice until Saturday morning on some roads. One of our girls fell on said ice. We were dodging quite a bit of it.

Last Sunday we ran in the afternoon because the week had been so crummy and Saturday was not an option still. For girls that never (unless racing) run in the daylight it was quite an experience. But not only that it was in the afternoon. We were a hot mess. We had so much fun though. I know people that saw us thought we were crazy. We probably are. We stated mostly in neighborhoods and on new sidewalks when available. We had to run a busy street though at the beginning and end, we got a few honks too.

It was cool and rainy. I like to run in the light rain, it’s kinda refreshing.

Here’s a few snow days pictures from last week. I laid down in the snow, that’s the outline of my mitten. It was pretty deep snow, there was ice under it. That’s how we roll here.

I think it might finally be gone. It’s Spring Break here this week. It’s raining today but supposed to be in the 60′s and 70′s the rest of the week. I’m so excited! Looking forward to at least 3 run days this week and 2-3 gym days.

I got a Tracer Vest last week. Our Running Center started stocking them. They light up a million ways. I’m surprised how light it is. I thought that battery pack would be heavy but it’s not. I ran with it Saturday and liked it. Of course I had 2 layers of clothes on. Hoping it will be comfortable this summer in a tank top too.

Did my first ever set of squats with the bar on my shoulders yesterday. I’m walking a little funny today.

I have Rock N Roll Dallas in 2 weeks! Still haven’t decided on a goal yet.

What are you training for?

Did you race this weekend?

Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Hebrews 12:1

It was a planned rest week and the good Lord agreed when he sent the ice, snow, rain and plummeting temperatures. I did make it to the gym. (some)

Sunday: Rain, then the ice moved in.

Monday: Ice.

Tuesday: Still ice. I did go to work for about 4 hours.

Wednesday: Gym day. It snowed, but was melted by early afternoon.

Thursday: Maybe it rained? Still no sunshine.

Friday: Gym before work. Then the snow moved in, walked to the park, went sledding, walked back.

Saturday: Gym day. I did actually run 2 miles on the treadmill, then abs, weights, sauna.

Did some Netflix binge watching, made cookies, cleaned house. Apparently when the sun is gone, I want to eat. A friend said yesterday it’s because the fridge was the only thing that had a light the last week. We were drawn to it.

Here’s Ally scraping ice off the sidewalk at my office. We paid her.

I’m not sure what Molly was thinking about all the snow!

I was surprised when we got to the park to see how many kids had real sleds. In Texas. We used a rubbermaid lid. Apparently I need to order a sled when they go on clearance. Ya know, just in case Texas gets snow once every 3 years.

What’s the weather like where you are?

Are you ready for it to warm up?

What are you training for? I have Rock N’ Roll Dallas coming up March 22!

Happy running,

Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Hebrews 12:1

If you love this, please share it!

A day late, I know it. We are experiencing #IceMageddon2015 around here and I was distracted by Netflix yesterday. Remeber #IceMageddon2013 when the Dallas Marathon was cancelled? Here’s a good read if you missed it. That storm was way worse than what we have now.

Training last week:

Sunday: Gym day, did all kinds of stuff. Met a friend there on her first day so I showed her a few things.

Monday: Rest day

Tuesday: Track, 800′s and 300′s, it was crazy fun. Average pace 8:56 with 2 mile warm up and recovery.

Wednesday: Spin class with buddies. So much fun!

Thursday: 6 miles, 9:21 pace.

Friday: Rest day

Saturday: 10 miles, don’t even know my pace. This was a fun run with some warm temps and humidity mixed in. We are obviously delirious.

Right after this I went to the store and came out 30 minutes later to cold temps! It started raining Sunday and then rain turned to ice.

Tonight there’s a chance of snow! We hardly ever get snow, but when we do it’s usually on top of ice. Things are starting to melt a little today but I’m sure it will freeze again tonight. Kids are on day 2 of no school and tomorrow is a half day.

Molly really enjoyed her “snow day”. She was snoring!

Finally convinced hubby to start a fire and we watched a movie.

This was already going to be a rest week from running for me. But I had hoped to get to the gym. Maybe tomorrow. I’m at work for a few hours today and the roads are not too bad. Thankfully I went to the store Saturday and we have plenty of food and cookies. But we are out of ice cream now. Things are getting bad.

Did you workout today?

What are you training for?

Happy running,

Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Hebrews 12:1

If you love this, please share it!

It’s time for the weekly run-down. I pushed my comfort zone a little bit this week. I made a decision I needed (wanted) to lower my “easy” pace. I have some goals to hit this year and I can’t do that without putting in some work. Funny thing is it hasn’t felt like work. I’m starting to love running again and looking forward to getting out there. Marathon training for 13 of the last 18 months seemed to steal my joy a little bit.

If you love this, please share it!

This was oddly my first official 15k race. Ally has been asking for a year to run this one so I finally broke down and registered us both for the 15k.

It wasn’t easy training Ally for a 15k while I was still training for Nola. The mileage just didn’t work and she won’t get up at 4:30 during the week to run short runs. I had to rely on the weekends and her getting in a few miles a day at school. Fortunately, I think she has some natural talent and ability too. She made this race look easy.

Her longest run was 8.25 miles, that was 6 days after I ran Nola. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get it done, but it was a good run. It was for our MRTT virtual so there were a lots of ladies out running and one just a little faster than me ran ahead with Ally the last 4 miles or so. That is what I love about running with a group. These moms take care of each other!

We definitely got our money’s worth. It’s not what I would call a “cheap” race, but we sure did get a lot for our money! We got a nice jacket, hot chocolate and chocolate fondue at the finish, a big medal and free video of us finishing and free photos.

I had initially planned to let Ally run by herself, she told me to go on. I started out a little faster but slowed down to run with her. (honestly she probably would have passed me anyway). We kept the first 6 miles at a mid 8 range, then dropped sub 8 to the finish. She got ahead of me a little but I caught her at mile 7.5 to finish together (mostly). She was about 5 seconds ahead of me at the finish line.

I run hills a lot, but I was a little surprised at how hilly Dallas is. Mile 5 seemed to go on forever and then bam, mile 8.5 we had to climb a bridge to head into the finish. Ally took those hills like a champ!

Here I am chasing her to the finish line.

The weather was chilly at the start. But I knew we’d warm up quick. I tossed my gloves at mile 2 and Ally was tying that jacket around her waist shortly after.

This is a big race, a lot of people participate in the 5k. If I had one bad thing to say, it’d be not starting on time. But in all fairness, I don’t think it was the race directors fault. There were so many people that were late. I have never seen that many people be so late to a race. The 15k corrals were trying to line up and the 5k’ers were still coming in from the sides. Finally they stopped them and made them wait until after all the 15k corrals were gone then they started another corral for the 5k.

I would run this 15k again, but I’m not sure I would run the 5k. They did have signs up at the front corrals that said “no walkers” and they were making announcements about it and if you wanted to walk to please move to the side of the road. I feel like they did a good job at crowd control considering how many people were there.

This is one of my favorite pictures!

Here’s the finish line goodies.

Ally really enjoyed the chocolate! Unofficially she placed 2nd in her age group (14 and under). Her award is supposed to be mailed in 6-8 weeks.

Here’s most of the group of ladies I run with every week!

After our group finished, we headed to lunch. I had already let Ally choose since it was her big day. We love to eat in Dallas anytime we can, so I was glad she chose Chuy’s. It’s one of our favorite tex-mex restaurants.

I really enjoyed this race and running with Ally. Looking forward to the next race!

Have you run a Hot Chocolate race?

What are you training for?

Happy running,

Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Hebrews 12:1